Entries by gmader

The hard truth about transformation that most leaders cannot tolerate

/in , ,

If you want real transformation, not cosmetic change, you must accept a truth that most leaders find deeply uncomfortable. The path to breakthrough rarely feels like progress. Sales can dip before they rise. Processes can feel messier before they become effective. Engagement can wobble before ownership takes hold. Short-term metrics can soften before long-term performance strengthens. This is where most transformation efforts die. Not because the strategy is wrong. Not because the people are incapable. Not because the ambition is unrealistic. They die because leaders lose their nerve. I was working with a large manufacturer company that was under intense pressure after COVID. Quality had suffered. Production had fallen behind. Customer confidence was fragile, to […]

Make 2026 the Best Year Ever

/in , ,

I love new beginnings. A new year carries possibility. A new chapter carries hope. A new phase invites you to step forward again. At the beginning of the year, you often feel a renewed sense of opportunity. You might want to improve your financial situation, strengthen your health, build deeper relationships, or find work that truly matters. The feeling is real. The motivation is real. But the danger is also real. Many people believe the new beginning exists outside of them. They believe the time of year, the calendar, or their circumstances create the change. They do not. A fresh start is not created by a date or circumstance. It is created by the way […]

Complete 2025 in the Most Meaningful Way

/in , ,

Completing a chapter effectively can be a meaningful and powerful endeavor when you approach it with a deliberate and conscious mindset. Unfortunately, most people focus far more on starting a project and executing a project, and when it ends, they simply move on to the next one. We consistently underestimate the power and value of completing things effectively, not merely finishing or ending them. The dictionary defines finishing as bringing a task or activity to an end. It defines completing as making something whole or perfect. You do not have to do anything for something to end. That is the nature of any cycle. Things begin, evolve, and end. A year, a project, or even a lifetime follows the […]

How great are you willing to be?

/in ,

It is an interesting question. Most people say they want to be great, yet very few are truly willing to step into the space where greatness lives. It is not a matter of talent. It is a matter of who you want to be and how you want to show up. Greatness is not an outcome. It is a way of being. I once worked with a senior manager who was given responsibility for the technical delivery of a major strategic customer in the security space. This was the biggest project of his career. He had every qualification, deep technical expertise, and years of experience. He was empowered to make decisions that influenced key account […]

Most leaders don’t know how to communicate a message – and it shows

/in , ,

It still amazes me how many senior leaders, intelligent, experienced, highly educated professionals, simply don’t know how to communicate a message clearly and effectively. There are so many examples. You can see this so clearly when watching leaders deliver presentations. They spend hours building PowerPoint decks, obsessing over font size and color schemes, but when they stand up to speak, they lose the plot. Their slides are packed, their timing is rushed, and their audience walks away confused, disengaged, or worse, unmoved. Indifferent. PowerPoint has been the universal business language for decades. But the real problem isn’t the tool. It’s that too many leaders use it as a crutch instead of a medium for impact. […]

Cross-functional and cross-business teams are ‘real teams’

/in , ,

Most large companies today operate within a matrix management model. They scale through cross-functional and cross-business collaboration because no single function can deliver a complete customer solution alone. The Sales function can’t succeed without the Product function. Product can’t succeed without Engineering. Engineering can’t succeed without services and support, and so on. Conceptually, everyone understands this. But in practice, most organizations still behave as if every function lives in its own silo. I hear the same refrain everywhere: “This isn’t really my team.” “We don’t report to the same leader.” “This is more of a committee than a team.” That mindset quietly undermines performance. The Illusion of the Matrix Matrix management was designed to drive […]

“Agreeing to disagree” is leadership failure

/in , , ,

How many times have you sat in a senior team meeting where the conversation went nowhere? The debate gets heated, people defend their positions, personal preferences surface, and when it’s time to reach a conclusion, everyone is exhausted and no closer to an aligned decision. Someone says, “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.” And the room nods. Meeting over. On the surface, it sounds civil and respectful. In reality, it’s one of the most damaging phrases in leadership. “Agreeing to disagree” is never an acceptable conclusion. It’s always a collapse. It signals that the team has chosen comfort over courage, ego over ownership, and personal preference over collective responsibility. And the cost is […]

Trust is not a nice-to-have. It’s your edge.

/in , , ,

Trust is not just a feel-good word. It is the backbone of every high-performing organization. Without it, even the best strategies fall flat. With it, teams move mountains. Too many leaders talk about trust as if it’s a soft, secondary value. It isn’t. Trust is oxygen. Without it, your culture stagnates, your performance lags, and your results fall short. Here’s a real-world story to make the point. A national technology-based service company acquired another firm with adjacent services to expand their offerings. On paper, it made perfect sense. The acquiring company was a leading brand in the commercial sector, while the acquired company had a strong reputation in government affairs. Their services complemented each other. […]

Strong Teams Tackle Tough Conversations. Weak teams avoid them.

/in , ,

If you want to know how powerful your team is, just see how team members deal with sensitive and tough topics. Sensitive and tough topics often require the leaders and team members to put their own personal feelings, egos, and agendas aside for the greater good of their company or team. They could large organizational-wide trade-off topics like deciding which team to invest in, which team member to promote or re-allocating people and budgets from one leader’s team to another. It could also be one-on-one topics like giving honest feedback to colleagues, your boss or subordinates about bad behavior, lack of accountability or poor performance. When it comes to sensitive and tough conversations the line […]

Don’t confuse efficient compliance with real transformation

/in , ,

For a significant transformation initiative to succeed, the CEO must ensure that all their senior executives are fully (genuinely) aligned and own the transformation purpose, outcomes and process. Large-scale transformation processes are often complex and messy. Many CEOs use a Project Management (PM) function to oversee, track, and manage the transformation execution process. A strong PM function can make a significant difference in achieving the transformation outcomes. However, a strong PM function can also undermine and jeopardize the transformation’s intent and purpose. A powerful transformation is never just about achieving better outcomes. By design, it is always about aspiration and inspiration. And no matter how complex the change initiative, senior leaders cannot outsource or delegate […]

Six barriers you must overcome to achieve your transformation goals

/in , ,

It takes extraordinary courage, determination, and faith to pursue a bold change initiative, stay the course and see it through. No one in their right mind would dare to climb Mount Everest without preparation. Similarly, you shouldn’t embark on a bold transformation journey without adequate preparation either. In a bold transformation process, there are always unpredictable events, circumstances, and challenges that cannot be anticipated or prepared for in advance. These unanticipated events often lead to the most significant changes and breakthroughs. At the same time, however, some challenges always arise in one way or another. If you do not anticipate, expect, and prepare for them, they could easily become barriers that impede your ability to […]